The present invention relates generally to hitching devices and more particularly to a hitching device that may be mounted on a three-point hitch of a farm tractor.
The use of prime movers to pull wagons, plows and other farm implements is well understood. The use of high powered farm tractors in the past century has allowed operators to pull heavy vehicles and perform many operating functions through the use of hydraulic power systems. However, the method of hitching a tow vehicle to a prime mover has remained relatively unchanged since the days of horse drawn wagons. When a vehicle is to be hitched to a tractor, it is necessary for the operator to back the tractor near the tongue of the tow vehicle, dismount from the tractor, raise the tongue of the tow vehicle to the drawbar of the tractor and, if the tractor has been properly positioned, attach the tongue to the tractor drawbar. If the operator has misjudged the distance between the tongue and the tractor drawbar, it is necessary to move the tractor and again repeat the operation. It would be generally desirable to provide an automatic hitch device which allows an operator to engage or disengage the tongue of the tow vehicle without leaving the cab of the tractor. The present invention is directed toward that application.